


ornate

by harryandthestars



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: After episode 3x13, Angst with a Happy Ending, Humor, Internalized Homophobia, Jealousy, Kisses, M/M, Misunderstandings, Tyrus - Freeform, cyrus ily baby you deserve the world, fuck that OMC tbh, please can the hiatus end, unhealthy relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-18
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-15 20:13:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18506248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harryandthestars/pseuds/harryandthestars
Summary: Cyrus’ first relationship with a boy is nowhere near perfect, and the person he’s tried to distance himself from is here to get him out of it.





	ornate

**Author's Note:**

> lmao ok idek what this is
> 
> thanks for reading!

Spring in Shadyside was always Cyrus’ favorite time of the year. The high sun and blooming flowers created a picturesque scene, and many times he wished the weather would not change. But not all good things last forever—he had learned that the hard way.

Cyrus shook his head. Now was not the time to think about people from the past. In front of him was a favorable afternoon he’d be spending with his  _ boyfriend.  _ Yes, he, Cyrus Goodman, and his boyfriend. A real-life boy, not a celebrity or an unattainable fantasy; someone who reciprocated his feelings. Cyrus was not accustomed to that. 

His toes brushed against the surface of the lake, a basket of goodies right beside him. It had taken quite a while to prepare everything. Mangoes were cut into thick cubes just the way Nathan liked them. The sandwiches were triple-wrapped to prevent them from cooling. He’d even baked muffins that were admittedly not very good, but Cyrus hoped that the decor would make up for it.

He snuck a glance at his watch. Despite the huge amounts of tinfoil, the sandwiches were getting colder and colder. Nathan had told him one o’ clock; it was one-fifteen. He wouldn’t ghost him, right? 

Cyrus willed himself to calm down, but it was too hard. He also resisted the urge of calling him, too. If Nathan was at still tennis practice and Cyrus called mid-serve, he wouldn’t hear the end of it.

Several anxiety-filled minutes later, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Cyrus’ whole face melted into a smile. “Hi. I think the sandwiches have cooled, but it’s okay. How was prac—”

And then he realized the boy that he’d turned to face was not his boyfriend. In fact, it was T.J. Kippen, wearing a sheepish smile just as big as Cyrus’ was a few moments ago. The person from the not-so distant past. “Hey.”

“Oh. Hello, T.J.”

“Hello, Cyrus.” T.J. looked around the picnic blanket, and his eyes stopped at the carefully created goodie basket. He picked it up. “Wow, it’s so...ornate.”

They looked at each other for a few awkward moments before Cyrus cleared his throat and said—rather stiffly, of course, but there was no time to feel guilty— “Thanks.”

“How have things been?” T.J. asked with a semblance of casual air. “Okay?”

“Yeah.” He allowed a small discontented sigh to escape his lips. “How’s, um, Kira?”

To Cyrus’ immense surprise, he blushed. T.J. looked deeply uncomfortable, so he hastily added, “Sorry for being so nosy. I’m just curious.”

“Yeah, it’s fine. I mean, you asking about her is fine. Things between me and her...Well, we don’t talk much. Or at all, really.”

Withdrawn anger filled Cyrus up. Three months ago, T.J. had ditched him for this girl. For God’s sake, he hadn’t even bothered to call or text him in advance, for that matter. Cyrus hoped it didn’t show as he said, “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Cyrus, I’m sorry again,” T.J. said, his cheeks returning back to their usual pale. They seemed hollower. “What we had between us...It’s all ruined now. I try to talk to you, I seriously do, and I don’t know if my apology texts count for anything...but if not, I’m so sorry.” 

“It’s all good, T.J. I told you this already.”

“But everything’s changed. God, Cyrus, we used to talk everyday. I miss you so much.”

Cyrus’ eyes brimmed with traitorous tears, but he quickly blinked them away. “I miss you too. I’ve just been busy with everything.”

His face dropped slightly. “It’s true, then? You’ve been busy with the tennis player?”

“Yes. His name is Nathan.”

T.J. bit his lip. “I heard it around, but I didn’t really believe it until now.”

Cyrus smiled. “You thought I couldn’t get a boyfriend?”

“Oh my God, Cyrus, no! No, not like that, I was just waiting to hear you confirm. And anyway, you never told me you were...Gay.”

“Well. Now you know.”

T.J. looked like he was about to say something, but he was interrupted by Nathan, who joined them with raised eyebrows. “Cyrus?”

“Oh, hey. I was waiting for you.” Nathan smelled clean, like lemons, and there was no sweat in sight. Didn’t he have practice today? “And you know T.J., right?”

“Yeah, I do, actually,” he said, eyebrows still high on his forehead. Nathan greeted him with a head nod. “Hey, Kippen.” He surveyed T.J., who was carrying Cyrus’ handiwork. “Did you bring the dorky basket?” 

T.J.’s eyes narrowed, while Cyrus’ frown deepened. “No. Cyrus made this, and it’s beautiful.”

Nathan laughed. “Is he joining us, babe? I don’t want a buzzkill around.”

“No, I’ll go,” he snapped, setting the basket down, before Cyrus could reply. Which was good, because he had no clue on what he wanted to say. “Have fun.” T.J. turned to him, genuinely smiling again. “I’ll see you in Spanish tomorrow, right? Good luck on the test.”

“Thanks _ ,”  _ Cyrus softly called as T.J. walked away. He closed his eyes and sighed again. “Where have you been? I missed you.”

When Nathan did not reply, Cyrus opened his eyes. His boyfriend was scowling, already opening the sandwiches. “I fucking hate that douche. Basketball jocks are all the same.”

Cyrus was shocked. “He’s my friend. Don’t say that.”

Nathan scoffed. “Yeah, sure. Didn’t you tell me he ditched you for that girl? He really doesn’t give a shit about you.”

His words greatly resembled Cyrus’ thoughts from the past couple of months. Spoken aloud, they hurt more than he thought it was possible. Despite the heat, the day suddenly felt cold, barren. 

“Oh, come on, Cyrus,” Nathan said as he started on the mangoes. “It’s okay. You don’t need T.J. Kippen in your life. You have me.”

“Yeah, I know,” Cyrus said quietly. “It’s just...He did apologize, multiple times. Maybe I should give him another chance—”

“Yeah, no fucking way. He’ll just hurt you again.” Nathan rummaged through the basket and picked up a muffin. His features turned cold. “And anyway, why do you care so much about how he feels about you? Is there something I’m missing here?”

“No!” he responded quickly, surprising himself. “No, of course not.”

“Sure.” Nathan’s nostrils flared. “Honestly, I don’t show up for five minutes, and you’re already talking to this jerk. What a nice rebound.”

_ So he was snorting cocaine instead of playing tennis?  _ “Nathan, he’s the one that started talking to me. You know I like you.”

“Doesn’t seem like it, but whatever.” Cyrus sat down next to him, hoping his bad mood would vanish. His hopes were kind of fulfilled as Nathan gave him a chaste kiss. “You look nice.”

He blushed and offered a tired sort of smile. “Thanks. Also, were you at practice, or—”

His boyfriend turned out to be distracted by the lack of good dessert in the basket. “God, these muffins are gross. And the sandwiches are cold, by the way.”

Cyrus looked up at the spring sky he loved and half-heartedly wished it would swallow him up.

* * *

T.J. missed the winter. Well, really, he missed anything before the past three months. If you had to be specific about the whole thing, the timespan started from the golden day he met Cyrus Goodman and ended on the terrible day he broke Cyrus Goodman’s heart. 

Really, what was the point of life without him? He was missing such an integral person, but then again, T.J. didn’t deserve Cyrus. No one did. But he was terribly sorry, and he’d tried to convey it. It still wasn’t enough, and each passing day without Cyrus left him sadder and sadder.

One day, he was opening his locker, thinking about how his locker neighbor’s perfume suspiciously smelled a lot like chocolate chocolate-chip muffins (or perhaps his mind was just wrapped around that certain dessert), and heard the rumor. Nathan, a popular asshole, was gay. And guess who he was dating? Buffy Driscoll and Andi Mack’s best friend, that super kind boy, Cyrus.

Naturally, T.J. almost passed out. He had spent the past couple of weeks trying to clear his head and accept the fact he was gay, convincing himself that the boy he liked was not the same way. His aim was just to get him and Cyrus to be friends again, to make him smile once more. So far, nothing was working.

It had to just be a crazy rumor, right? Nothing could be confirmed as spring break started, and T.J., still a minor and therefore with no choice, was dragged to a fishing town. There he spent another week finally coming to the fitting conclusion. Yes, he was gay, but no, he didn’t like Cyrus Goodman.

He loved Cyrus Goodman. 

And then T.J. spotted him on that day, his eyes always naturally drawn to that boy, whether he be on the swings or sitting alone on a picnic blanket near the lake. He tapped Cyrus’ shoulder, his heart rapidly beating from nerves. They had one class together, but Cyrus had stopped talking to him altogether. Seeing him then enhanced the terrible emptiness, and it was rather daring for T.J. to just say, “Hey.”

He had always figured Cyrus was unjustly adorable. But T.J. had never really thought of him as beautiful. He then realized how wrong that was, with the bright sunlight illuminating Cyrus with a certain grace and a small frown on his rosy lips. 

His lips remained pursed, so T.J. decided complimenting might help. He couldn’t outrightly say,  _ Hey, you’re rather gorgeous and taking my breath away, do you think you could dial it down a little?  _ So T.J. complimented the picnic basket. He called it ORNATE. He called a basket ORNATE.

There was an awkwardness in the air that had never existed between the two. T.J. acknowledged that he had brought this upon himself—with some help from She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named—but it still sucked. And then Cyrus asked about Kira, which led to the rambling apologies, which led to the dreaded confirmation: Cyrus was dating. A boy. Who was not T.J.

After talking to Nathan, T.J. wondered how even Cyrus could find the good in that boy. He had the audacity to call that beautiful basket  _ dorky _ . Even “ornate” was a better way to describe it.

They were the talk of the school the next day, which depressed T.J. further. “It’s so cute, they’re so gay,” his locker neighbor gushed to her friend.  

He shut his locker with a pang and walked to Spanish. He had hoped that Cyrus would talk to him, but now he knew for sure he wouldn’t. T.J. fucked things up. And everything was terrible, all because of his ignorant self-denial—

“ _ Hola,”  _ Cyrus greeted with a genuine smile. “ _ ¿Cómo estás? _ ”

There wasn’t even time for the happiness to register. “ _ Muy bien, porque _ …” He trailed off. “ _ Porque  _ you’re talking to me. Thank you so much, Cyrus. I mean,  _ muchas gracias. _ ”

Cyrus shrugged and smiled, as if that three month hiatus was just a regular occurence. “You think the test will be okay?”

“Nah. I suck. I bet you’ll be great, though. As usual. How many flash cards did you make this time?”

“Ah, just a mere sixty-eight.”

“You’re rather committed.”

“Harvard needs a gay Jewish linguist.”

T.J. laughed, although his heart stopped at that one word. Back in the park, when Cyrus had unflinchingly told him he was indeed gay, he was about to say he was, too. Now, watching Cyrus taking out his organized pencil box and biting his lip in concentration due to the exam paper, T.J. realized there was no point in doing so.

Things wouldn’t change. Not with that guy in the picture. But...They could resume their friendship. Wasn’t that enough?

No. Not really.

*  * *

“ _ Perro  _ means ‘dog.’  _ Pero  _ means ‘but.’ That’s Spanish One knowledge, T.J. What were you doing last year?” Cyrus laughed, feeling lighter than he had in weeks. 

The two walked out of the class together. “Not paying attention. And now I regret it. My accent is so terrible; each time I talk, it looks like Senor Rivera is about to pop a vein.”

“Speaking of popping veins…” T.J. said, and Cyrus looked up, confused. Then he saw him. Nathan, who did not look very happy at all.

“Hey, Nathan,” Cyrus said, wondering why he was kind of frightened. It wasn’t like him and T.J. were holding hands or something, right? They were just talking. “Want to go to the library to study for the science quiz?”

“No, thanks. Maybe you can help T.J. with his math instead.”

The jibe left both T.J. and Cyrus embarrassed. It was just a coincidence that Nathan had phrased his words like that, but still. He had always been brash and blunt. Even the way he asked Cyrus out was like that. 

They were science partners, and one day, as Cyrus drew a diagram of refraction, Nathan off-handedly told him he looked good. Blushing, he thanked him, but Nathan didn’t stop there. Instead, he went on a whole thirty minute talk about how Cyrus was the best science partner anyone could ever have. 

“Oh, I’ve been flirting for so long,” he said after he left Cyrus at a loss for words. The bell rung, and as they got up, he came up with an ultimatum. “At least let me get your number.”

And then they started texting, and then they started dating. Cyrus was still getting used to Nathan’s overbearing, smug personality. There were moments like these when he thought he just couldn’t.

“Oh, shut up, Nathan,” Cyrus snapped. “You’re being ridiculous.”

Nathan rolled his eyes. “Really? You’re the one who’s getting all touchy with the boy who didn’t even want to be seen with you.”

“What the fuck?” T.J. interjected angrily, gritting his teeth. “What are you on?”

“He told me everything during science.” Nathan laughed and started talking in a high-pitched voice. “‘ _ Oh, I think he’s ashamed of me, why wouldn’t he be?’  _ And I had to comfort him, all because I think he’s cute. He’s not even grateful, that I’m out for him, while you’re just a pussy.” Then, with a smug, concluding smile, “But honestly, your whiny ass isn’t worth it, Cyrus. T.J. gets that, don’t you?”

The punch came swift and unexpected. One moment, Nathan was sneering at Cyrus, and then all of a sudden, he was bleeding out of his mouth. And T.J.’s hands were dripping with something that looked a lot like it.

He didn’t look horrified or anything. Just a little shocked. And the bemused expression was still on T.J.’s face as he was slammed against the lockers. 

“Get off of him!” Cyrus screamed at Nathan, trying to pry them apart. It took four shoves and one blow to the side of his head to make him fall down. This hit T.J.’s last nerve as he finally tackled his opponent to the ground, pinning him there as the crowd gathered.

“You piece of shit,” Nathan said thickly, through his mouthful of blood. “You can make him your little bitch. See if I care.”

T.J.’s fist rose up again, but he grabbed it quickly. “No, T.J., please. Just leave it. Please.”

And to Cyrus’ surprise, he did comply. Not without some harsh words directed to the bleeding boy. “How can you even say those things about him?” was one of the milder sentences.

Cyrus, still shaking, let himself be led through the crowd by the shocked teacher. It wasn’t entirely surprising that T.J. followed.

The rest of the day was a blur, with unfulfilling explanations and surprised parents. He finally left school with his phone blowing up (Buffy and Andi, of course) and with the relief that this would not go on his or T.J.’s permanent record. He assumed Nathan held the same fate with four weeks’ detention, but it turned out Cyrus was the only one out of three who did not get suspended.

And so it was him who wrote the apology and explanatory texts this time.

_ T.J., _

_ I’m so sorry for ignoring you these past few months. I thought if I did, I wouldn’t feel hurt anymore. I was wrong. I thought if I got with Nathan, I would get over you. I was wrong again. _

_ Yes, it’s you I like. In a way, it’s always been you. Since that day on the swings, really. A part of me always thought you and I would end up together. Silly, right? But all of my stupid hopes were crushed after that thing with the costumes, and I couldn’t bear facing it. So I cut you off, brushed off your apologies. _

_ Nathan told me you didn’t care about me. His words were the reason I talked to you today. First off, he’s a very unreliable source. Second off, I decided I needed to know for myself. And then I saw how you reacted on what he said. I think you care about me, T.J., and I know I need you in my life. You’re my best friend. I can’t lose that. _

_ I feel so bad that you got suspended. This is all my fault. I’m so sorry.  _

_ Please accept my apology.  _

Fifteen minutes after he sent them, a tapping sound on his bedroom window joined the cricket chirps. Numb to surprising outcomes at this point, Cyrus let T.J. in.

“I got your texts,” he said slowly.

“Did you just climb the oak tree?”

“Yeah. I think there are termites. Anyway. Your texts—”

“You could’ve hurt yourself.”

“I’m used to it. I already hurt myself quite a bit today.”

“And I am so sorry about that.”

T.J. sighed. “That’s what I came here to talk to you about. You really shouldn’t apologize, Cyrus, and there are some things I want to tell you—”

He was interrupted again, this time by the force of Cyrus’ lips meeting his. Apparently, it was a good enough reason to interject, because T.J. kissed him back. It was nothing like Iris, or Nathan. This was intoxicating; this was his first kiss. Because it was the first one that mattered.

When they broke apart, Cyrus couldn’t help but keep beaming. “That was...ornate.”

T.J. laughed. “That’s not a proper way to use the word.”

His manner returned back to seriousness when he spotted the bruise on T.J.’s face. “Oh my God. I know you told me not to apologize—”

“I’m going to kiss you again to make you shut up,” T.J. threatened, and he was true to his word. And when they stopped this time, he spoke before Cyrus could.

“Listen, Cyrus. It took me a while to accept that I’m...that I’m gay. And you’re the person who made me realize that. When Kira implied what I’d been trying to ignore, I freaked. I’m sorry it took me so long to be okay with who I am. And listening to that guy shaming you for being you...I couldn’t take it. Because, God, you have such a beautiful heart. You radiate this goodness no one deserves. You’re amazing, and it’s my privilege to be your best friend. It’ll be an even bigger honor if…” He took a deep breath. “If you can be my boyfriend.”

“Yeah,” Cyrus said, swallowing the lump in his throat. “Yeah, it’s my honor too, T.J.”

And for good measure, as if to seal the deal, they kissed again.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
